Nursery
by Michael2
Summary: Bosnia. A land recently torn apart by war. People trying to rebuild their lives. When Avalon sends Goliath, Elisa, Angela, and Bronx there, what will they find? (COMPLETE)
1. Chapter 1

**May 14, 1995**

Serge Tanzic sits inside the helicopter as it flies through the night sky above Manhattan. He had boarded the helicopter following a flight landing at John f. Kennedy International Airport in New York City.

"At least we beat the traffic," says the helicopter pilot, clad ins some blue uniform.

"Yes," replies Tanzic.

The helicopter continues its flight, soon flying over the East River to Manhattan. Tanzic could see the forest of skyscrapers that all but covers the whole island.

"I see your boss to discuss building of refugee center," says Tanzic. "So many displaced from war in Yugoslavia. I was colonel in Yugoslav army. I even fight in Vukovar. So many killed, so many homeless. I want help."

"I only saw it on the news." The pilot glances at Tanzic, noting the scar on his face running down from his right eye, figuring that must have been an old war wound.

"Tensions still. War may break out tomorrow. I want to help those homeless because of war."

"How are you feeling?" the pilot asks the other passenger.

"Very alert," replies Goran, who had accompanied Serge Tanzic. "I sleep for most of the flight. Wake up just before landing."

"We're getting close."

Tanzic looks ahead. He sees a very tall skyscraper, rising high above the others. That is the Eyrie Building, the tallest building in New York City. Atop the Eyrie Building is a castle- Castle Wyvern, which used to be in Scotland, but had since been rebuilt here last year.

The helicopter soon lands inside the courtyard of the Castle. The door opens, and the former Yugoslav colonel and his aide step out.

The walls of Wyvern block his view of Manhattan Island. Still, Tanzic is impressed with the place, having read about it less than a month after its completion in 1994.

A man walks out into the courtyard. He has blond hair and wears eyeglasses. He wears a black business suit. A white button shirt with a red necktie is visible.

"Welcome to Castle Wyvern," the man says.

"Thank you."

"Follow me."

"I'll take the chopper back to the hangar," says Derek Maza, who had flown the helicopter. Tanzic glances as Derek flies the helicopter away.

Castle Wyvern's newest guest is escorted through the halls. The two visitors note the architecture.

"This castle was advanced for its time," says his host.

"Very difficult to attack," says Goran.

Less than ten minutes later, Tanzic enters a large office. Its centerpiece is a desk. A large television is built into the wall ion the left. Behind the desk there is a large window showing the southern end of Manhattan, including the twin towers of the World Trade Center.

A man sits behind the desk. He has tanned skin, brown hair, and a brown beard. He wears a gray suit and shirt with a Mandarin collar.

"Serge Tanzic, I presume," says the man.

"That is me. This is my trusted aide, Goran. We fight in war together." Memories of the civil war that followed the disintegration of Yugoslavia in 1991 briefly surface in the former colonel's mind.

"David Xanatos, founder of Xanatos Enterprises." Xanatos extends a hand. "Let's talk business."


	2. Chapter 2

**May 28, 1996**

The mists dissipate, and Goliath, Elisa, Angela, and Bronx could see a forested area. The skiff is floating on a pond somewhere on Earth.

The three of them look around. For four months, the mystical idle of Avalon had sent the four to various locations on Earth. But where they went was not random, for they always managed to find trouble every place that they visited.

"Avalon doesn't take you where you want to go, it _sends you where you need to be_," said Tom, an old friend of Goliath's.

None of the four had to ask why Avalon sent them here; they only needed to find where here is.

"We'd better find a road," says Elisa.

"These trees," says Goliath. "They are tall enough for us to climb and catch an air current to glide around."

"Right," says Angela.

"Okay, Bronx," Elisa says to the quadripedal beast. "I'll keep you company."

She looks up as the two gargoyles glide into the night sky.

Goliath and Angela glide around. The first thing they notice is that they are relatively close to populated areas; they can see the lights of towns.

"Look," says Angela, pointing.

Goliath can see a helicopter flying, with its lights searching. The people inside seem to be looking chasing someone.

Did Avalon send them here to help those flying the helicopter?

Or whoever the people in the helicopter are chasing?

He looks down.

He can see headlights from some vehicle on the ground. Golioath and angela keep gliding, watching both the ground vehicle and the helicopter, while staying out of direct view from the helicopter's searchlight.

There is no benefit yet to let the pilots know about gargoyles gliding in the area.

Angela then sees the ground vehicle crash into a tree. She waves at Goliath, and then swoops down, landing near the vehicle.

The vehicle is a Jeep. There is no indication that it belongs to some police agency. Goliath soon lands. The two gargoyles glance at the Jeep, which is clearly damaged from crashing head-on into a tree. They soon look at the occupants of the Jeep, who are human.

The driver is a woman with light brown hair, wearing a simple dress. In the back seat are two children, a boy and a girl, both clearly below ten years of age. The woman holds something swaddled in a cloth- a baby perhaps.

"Listen," says Angela, putting her hands up. "We won't hurt you. Are you all right?"

The woman steps out of the Jeep, holding her baby. Her two older children also step out.

"Are the people in that helicopter chasing you?" asks Angela why.

"They…they want baby," says the woman.

Suddenly a light shines brightly upon the gargoyles and humans.

"Let us take cover!" yells Goliath.

And so they all do. The seven of them, including the baby, hide in the brush. Through the brush and trees, Goliath could see more humans rappelling from the helicopter. They are all in full-gear, like soldiers.

_They are soldiers_, thinks Goliath. _What war zone did Avalon send us to _this_ time? _

"Who are they?" asks Angela.

"Guards," replies the woman. "They want to take baby. No give baby to them, not even for money and good life for other children."

She and her older children are skittish around the two gargoyles, of course.

"We'll have to take them by surprise," says Goliath.

The woman and her children take cover. They are not too trusting of these winged creatures that could talk.

But those guards, those guards could definitely not be trusted.

She hears gunfire and yelling. The woman looks and sees the winged figure taking down one of the guards. There is more gunfire, and more screams.

Goliath climbs up a tree and glides. He knows he had to take down the enemy's aerial advantage. With the wind supporting his wings, he glides right into the cabin of the helicopter.

The pilots and two soldiers are surprised to see the gargoyle, as they had never met a gargoyle before. Goliath take s them down. The helicopter starts descending.

The pilot manages to regain control at the last minute, not before the chopper crashes into the ground of the forest.

"Is everyone all right?' he asks.

"Yes," reply the others.

The pilot flips the switches and turns the knobs, but there is no response.

He hits the control panel with his fist in frustration.

Oooooooooo

"Good job," Goliath says to Bronx, as the gargoyle beast pins one of the enemy humans on the floor of the forest.

"we had better get going before reinforcements arrive," says Elisa.

"I agree."

And so they all leave.

Ooooooo

Just ten minutes later, a Mil Mi-8 helicopter lands in the area. The Mi-8 is a twin turbine helicopter that had been in common use by the Warsaw Pact nations during the Cold War. This particular helicopter, which once had service in the Soviet air force, nowe finds service with Serge Tanzic's troops.

Several troops, armed with AK-47 rifles, disembark.

One of them surveys the area, looking through a pair of binoculars.

"We must find her," says Goran. "And her baby."

"Sir, it is almost sunrise," says one of the men.

"I know. Send a message to Serge."

"Yes, sir."

Ooooooooo

"It is almost dawn," says Goliath. "We must sleep soon."

"Sleep?" asks the woman with the baby. "You sleep day?"

"Yes," says Angela. "You will see."

The eight of them had found a cave where they could take shelter. It is only the size of a large closet, but it is good enough to hide them, from the humans hunting them. Goliath, Angela, and Elisa gathered brush to obscure the entrance.

"You should be lucky to witness this," says Elisa.

Then she and the two gargoyles gasp at seeing the woman's baby.

The baby has two arms and two legs.

The baby is also covered in orange fur with black stripes. Two tiny, bat-like wings grow out of the back.

Goliath, Angela, and Bronx turn to stone.


	3. Chapter 3

Elisa Maza stares at the infant for a few minutes. What she had seen nearly floored her.

A baby with a cat-like face, fur, and bat-like wings.

"You do not think this my baby?" asks the woman.

"I am open to the possibility," answers the NYPD detective. "What..what is your name?"

"Azra," replies the woman. "These three are my children. Blaz, Mirsada. My baby, I name him Stojan."

Elisa takes another look at the infant Stojan. "Azra, how did Stojan come to be born?"

"There was war in Bosnia," replies Azra. "I lived in Srebrinca. Husband was murdered by Serbs. They take me, keep captive my family, did terrible things. We rescued, live in refugee camp. But we lost everything. Man come to us, tell us of a way to provide for family. I would be surrogate mother . we would get money and a nice place to live. No more need for work."

"So we're in Bosnia?"

"Very close. I go to this place, many little houses. We have plenty food, water. Get to watch movies on tape. Live what they say first world lifestyle. I went through surrogate process. Nine months later, I have baby."

"And the baby wasn't what you expected," says Elisa.

"I thought monster," says Azra. "But then I know I gave life to him. I am mother. He is son. He is my child like Braz and Mirsada, no matter how he look. What about you and these two stone people?"

"My name is Elisa. I and these two are on…a world trip. They are gargoyles. They turn to stone during the day."

"They have wings like Stojan."

"Yes, they do. But why are they looking for you?"

"They tell me I have to give up Stojan after nursing done. Others give up babies."

"There were more?"

"Yes. Others give birth, give up babies, collect money, and leave. I no give up my son."

"I…I understand. I do want to help you. If we're in Bosnia, there might be American peacekeeping troops nearby. If we could get you and your children to an American outpost or base, maybe the military can grant you asylum."

"We can go to America?"

"It may be your only chance to keep your baby."

"I think there's another reason to be here. We need to expose to the world what is going on."

"And these gargoyles wake up at night?"

"Yes."

Oooooo

Hours later, a black Land Rover pulls up to a gate located on a wall. A guard armed with an AK-47 speaks to the SUV driver, and then signals for the Suburban to pass.

The grounds are well-manicured, with the main building and bungalows where people sleep.

"Almost like a resort," says the driver.

"Yes," replies the passenger in the SUV.

The vehicle pulls up to the main building, near a water fountain. Like the other buildings, the main building is made of brick.

Serge Tanzic walks out to personally greet his guest. The front door of the Land Rover opens, and out steps a man. He wears a black business suit. The black coat is worn over a white dress shirt. A red necktie is tied around the collar. The man himself wears eyeglasses over his nose, and blond hair covers his head. The most notable feature is a left fist made of stone.

"Mr. Burnett," says Tanzic.

"I am he," replies Owen Burnett. "I am here to inspect this project on behalf of David Xanatos."

"Oh, uh, hi," says a woman standing maybe a few feet from Tanzic. She is wearing a white lab coat. She has curly crimson red hair. Her face has a triangular nose

"You must be Dr. Mallory," says Owen.

"Correct-a-mundo," replies Dr. Scarlett Mallory, in a thick New Jersey accent. "We've done so much here, so much more than that first batch in New York. Impressive, since Dr. Sevarius isn't here every day to check on our work. Last time he was here must have been in February, I think. Anyway, Serge here has been taking care of us good. We always have fresh roasted coffee every day, a gym, video games."

"Then you could take me through the tour of this facility?" asks Owen.

"Of course, my friend," says Tanzic. "If you can follow me."

Owen and Serge step inside an open-air Jaguar convertible. The driver drives on the roads in the complex.

"Our guests stay in those lodges," says Serge. "Many of them came here with their children."

Owen looks around. The air smells fresh, much fresher than the air in Manhattan. He sees a little park with a playground with rubber surfaces. Serge points out a community room and a gymnasium.

"This is very much a resort we have here," says Serge. "Maybe this can be a resort for public once we wrap up operations here."

"Perhaps," replies Owen.

The convertible stops, and Serge leads Owen into the main building. It is nicely decorated, with plaster walls. Various paintings hang on the walls. Serge and Owen pass by several staffers and guards. Owen recalls that Gen-U-Tech provided the medical staff.

They reach a glass door. A uniformed guard armed with a shotgun stands before it. On the glass door is the biohazard symbol and the word "BIOHAZARD" stenciled on it.

They enter the room. There are glass cabinets with various sorts of chemicals. The glass doors to the shelves have the biohazard symbol and various warning signs.

"This is storage for chemical area," says Serge. "Dr. Sevarius's formula is stored here. "

"We mix the formula with the…samples we get from the fertility clinics that Gen-U-Tech operates," says Mallory. "Then mutated samples are then injected into the wombs of the mommies-to-be. It's hit and miss really. Of course, we also ..well, knock up some of them with normal samples. Experiments require control subjects as well as test subjects, you know."

And so they do, walking along the hallways.

Oooooooooo

"Do they die if they break?" asks Braz, looking at the stone forms of the gargoyles.

"Yes," answers Elisa. "What was it like? Srebrenica."

"I use to go to school and play outside. I like listening to radio. Then the war came."

Braz remembers, or at least as much as his young mind could understand. He remembers hearing the loud noises and seeing the tanks and the people with guns. They were held in this place by the men with guns. His mother often cried every night. He is old enough to understand that his father is not coming back. He still feels sad when his little sister asks for her papa.

"My children are the only family I have now," says Azra. "They say they will relocate me and my family to Italy or Greece or even America. But I can not give up one of my children."

Elisa looks at Azra. The Bosnian woman is maybe a few years older, at least thirty years old. The expression on her face is so familiar.

The expression Azra had when talking about the massacre at Srebrenica is all but identical to the expression Goliath has whenever the gargoyle talks about the massacre at Castle Wyvern, one thousand two years ago.

Ooooooooo

Owen Burnett had seen pictures.

But it is a whole other thing to actually meet the babies in person.

The nursery looks like a typical nursery for young infants, with cartoon drawings on the walls and baby music playing. The babies in the cribs all have fur, wings, cat-like faces, and cat-like feet. Some of them are crying. An orderly holds one of them.

Dr. Mallory holds up one of the babies, covered in tan fur. "Aren't babies cute?" she asks.

"Ah, yes, yes," says Serge. "I saw too much death. Here, I see life."

"You can see our staff here takes care of the babies," says Mallory. "We also let their mothers nurse them for a few months before sending the surrogates on their way. We do periodic checkups and collect the data and transmit it to headquarters."

"We are making the future," says Serge.

"Guys, you have to come see this," says a female voice.

"Rachel," says Dr. Mallory.

"And you are?" asks Owen, looking at the dark-haired woman with a big nose.

"Oh, hi, I'm Dr. Rachel Weinberg," she says. "I normally work at the headquarters in New York, but I was sent for a tour of duty overseas. This is really exciting work, you know."

"Of course."

"One of our guests is gonna have a baby."

"You will want to see this, Mr. Burnett," says Serge.

Thei former Yugoslav colonel leads Owen down the hallway for maybe thirty feet. They stop at a door, and they all make use of a nearby sink, scrubbing their hands wth soap.

Owen enters the room. The walls are a light shade of blue, and a doctor in a white coat stands inside. There are various types of medical equipment inside.

Lying down on a table is a woman with light brown hair and pale skin. Hwer ankles are secured by stirrups. Her belly is hugely swollen, and she cries out as her uterine muscles contract.

The obstetrician speaks to the pregnant woman.

The woman screams as she pushes.

The baby emerges. The obstetrician cuts the umbilical cord.

The baby is covered in black fur, with two tiny wings on the back. Owen looks with curiosity as the obstetrician hands the baby to the mother.

The doctor says the baby is a girl.

"We do miracle here," says Serge.


	4. Chapter 4

The sun sinks below the horizon, the sliver finally becoming hidden from view.

"Look," says Elisa.

Azra and her two children watch as the surface of the stone gargoyles begin to crack, with slivers of stone falling onto the floor of the cave. Goliath, Angela, and Bronx all rorar as they wake uop for the nuight. The two Bosnian children look with awe.

"My name is Azra," says the woman.

"Goliath," the gargoyle introduces himself.

"Azra," says Elisa, "How about telling the gargoyles here your story?"

Goliath and Angela intently listen, recalling whom they had seen just before sunrise.

Oooooooo

"I must thank you for your hospitality, Colonel Tanzic," says Owen.

Owen Burnett sits inside the dining room of a house in the compound. The room itself is well-decorated, with a wooden table and chairs. A kitchen is nearby.

Several dishes lie on the table.

"You are a valued guest," replies the former Yugoslav colonel, sticking a fork into what he had called a pljeskavica, a dish consisting of a grilled, ground mixture of beef, lamb, and pork, served with flatbread and onions. "I find it easier to talk business here than in my office."

"Serge here cooked this meal himself," says Goran, sipping a glass of wine.

"It is a hobby of mine," says Serge.

"I do find it interesting that there is a gargoyle clan in this area."

"None of my men spotted any gargoyles until last night," says Goran.

"They protect," says Serge. We did not start fight with gargoyles. They attack us while my men were looking for escaped surrogate."

"I have a feeling these gargoyles will come here."

"We will be ready," says Goran.

"Once we wrap up things here," says Owen, "Xanatos Enterprises could make additional use of your services. We will even provide a cover identity for you. Only your trusted companions will know who you really are."

"The Hague brands me a war criminal for defending my people against the Bosnian filth!" exclaims Serge. "I just wanted a clean homeland, free of vermin. Is that a crime? Does that make me nothing more than a common brigand or murderer? "

"We take care of our own, Colonel Tanzic."

"As do I. What of the surrogates? I am sure you disposed of them properly."

"In a matter of speaking," replies Owen. "We settled most of them in Italy, via our allies within the government there. One of them even accepted a job at one of our facilities in Marseilles, and is attending university at our expense."

"You simply did not make them disappear?" asks Goran.

"Mr. Xanatos would have considered it a waste. They put themselves at great personal risk to give birth to the next generation of mutate bio weapons. They may be useful to us later."

"I suppose. Even if they are just Bosnian whores."

Serge swallows another piece of pljeskavica.

oooooooo

Goliath takes a minute to process what the human named Azra had told him.

"You have my condolences for what happened to your husband and your family,," says the gargoyle. "I am all too familiar with events like what happened in Srebrenica. As for your newborn child, no doubt that was Xanatos's handiwork."

"And no doubt Xanatos buried his tracks really deep on this one," says Elisa.

Angela had heard about what happened to the Pack after her first encounter with them in this land called Egypt. She had heard how this human called Xanatos had upgraded the pack by various means, including genetic mutation.

"We can take you to Avalon," the gargoyle says to Azra and her family. "You can be safe from your pursuers."

"You are from this Avalon?"

"I am," says Angela. "Goliath was from Scotland, and lives in Manhattan. Elisa here also lives in Manhattan."

"There are other babies in this facility, right?" asks Elisa.

"Yes," replies Azra.

"Maybe Avalon sent us here to rescue the babies," says the NYPD detective. "Xanatos can't have anything good planned for them."

"If it is dark, it should be fairly easy to spot the facility from the air," says Goliath.

"Agreed," replies Angela.

The two gargoyles exit the cave. Using their bony talons, they climb trees. They then leap off, letting the air currents lift their wings. Dancing with the wind, Goliath and Angela gain altitude.

Up in the sky, Goliath sees some electric lights on the ground.

"This may be the place Azara escaped from," the gargoyle says into a microphone.

"Copy," He hears Elisa say.

Goliath and Angela glide towards the compound and manage to make a landing on the roof of the main building.

"Look," says Angela, "there's a window on the roof."

Goliath takes a closer inspection. He sees wires along the edges of the window.

"No doubt Xanatos has informed the guards here of gargoyles," says Goliath. "We will find another way in."

He uses his strength to break through the ceiling. The two gargoyles then go through the newly-made entrance.

Angela looks around. There are various structures attached to the wall, made of this hard, white substance.

A door in the room opens, and a human walks in, wearing some sort of uniform.

He is surprised to see the winged creatures.

Goliath strikes him down, and then tosses the human into one of the urinals, where the man's face comes to rest.

"Let's go," says Goliath.

The two gargoyles step out into the darkened hallway. They have better night vision than the humans do.

Then again, the humans here serving as guards are much more familiar with this place. They sneak through the hallways, hiding in nooks and crannies, with their pointy ears focused to listen to human footsteps.

Goliath and Angela know that they will be found, eventually. The only question was whether they could find the babies before then.

They sneak a peak into the various rooms, with no signs of the babies.

Angela then hears crying coming from one of the rooms. She peeks inside. The gargioyle can see the outline of little cribs. Goliath enters the room as well.

"We found them," Angela says softly.

The sound of the crying continues.

Suddenly, the room becomes much brighter. A woman with long bolons hair, wearing blue overalls, scream at the sight of the two gargoyles.

Goliath glances at the cribs. Inside each crib is a furry baby with two wings attached to the back.

There is no time. They run out into the hallway.

There is gunfire, and the gargoyles dodge.

They had to run. They have no time to even wonder how to rescue all the babies.

They can see the silhouettes of guards blocking a junction ahead. Goliath looks to the right and then brweaks the glass door. He and Angela go inside.

They are inside a room with shelves and glass cabinets. The biohazard symbol is prominent.

And the two gargoyles are trapped.

Angela wonders what to do, as the guards wouild surely open fire if either iof them make a move.

Suddenly, she feels a shock throughout her body, and falls down, unable to move. She has a nice view of the floor as well as Goliath's head.

It is not long before the two gargoyles are manacled.


	5. Chapter 5

Goliath and Angela struiggle against the manacles, but the material is too strong for them to break with raw strength. They look at their surroundings. It is a storage room of some sort, with glass cabinets.

Several more people enter the room. Angela does not recognize any of them, but Goliaht recognizes one of them, a man with blond hair, eyeglasses, and wearing a black business suit. He is Owen Burnett, David Xanatos's right hand man.

"Ah, Goliath," says Owen. "What a pleasant surprise. I have heard news of your travels with Detective Maza."

A man with close-cropped brown hair and a scar on his pace face walks up to the gargoyle. "Serge Tanzic, head of security here," he says. He looks at the two gargoyles. He then looks at the gargoyle who appears to be female. "And what is your name, dear?" asks the former Yugoslav Army colonel.

"You're not entitled to an answer," says Angela.

"I shall introduce myself to you," says Owen. "My name is Owen Burnett. I work for Mr. Xanatos."

"I have seen what you have been doing here."

"Giving war refugees a head start in rebuilding their lives, yes," replies Owen. "Quite a few women choose to be surrogate mothers, and for much less than what we offer here. I can see you have recruited a new gargoyle for your clan. I know your clan is nowhere nearby, Goliath; the rest of them are still in Manhattan. We have been keeping an eye on them ever since your departure.

"You must be wondering if Detective Maza will be coming to your rescue."

Serge speaks into a microphone. "Yes, come here," he says.

Less than a minute later, Goliath and Angela see Elisa, who is likewise confined in manacles.

"Elisa," says Goliath.

But even more surprising is the person who had brought in Elisa. He wears armor with all sorts of pockets, like the guards.

He also has a beak-like face and fin-like ears. His skin has a slate-gray color. His feet are long, and he stands on his toes.

He is a gargoyle!

"Ah, Goran my friend," says Serge.

"We caught her snooping outside the compound," replies the gargoyle.

"You have a gargoyle working for you?" asks Goliath.

"Serge and I knew each other since childhood," replies Goran. "My clan even fight alongside him and his men when Yugoslavia dissolved into civil war, to protect our territory from the clan of humans known as Bosnians. They could never see death coming from above."

"I have read about that war," says Goliath. "Your clan…your clan's desire to protect has been corrupted."

"Corrupted," says Serge. "Look at my face. See this scar. This scar is because of them!"

"It was war," says Elisa.

"No. This was when I was boy. Some Bosnian youths sliced my face with a razor, merely because I was Serb. Now I will have a chance to finally rid this place of this filth. And I will have a loyal cadre of followers. Ironic they were born from Bosnian whores."

Goliath looks at the human,. The expression on his face too much resembled that of a certain red-haired female gargoyle.

"There is the matter of what to do about you," says Owen. "Detective Maza, your badge is but a cheap piece of metal here in Bosnia. I suppose you can all be turned over to the authorities here. I do look forward to seeing how this affects your life. A detective with the New York City Police Department, leaving without notice to travel to a war zone. I am sure Captain Chavez will be thrilled. And as for the two gargoyles, maybe the Bosnians can recruit them; the current peace is uneasy and they might want strong warriors in case the war starts back up.

"Or maybe you two will be their lab rats."

"Do not worry, Owen Burnett," says Serge. "I know exactly what to do."

He grabs Owen's right arm, and then kicks his right leg up as he brings the arm down. Goliath, Elisa, and Angela hear a sickening snap, followed by a brief scream of pain.

They look and can see a sharp piece of bone sticking from Owen's right arm.

Goliath then sees Goran return, and he throws a red-haired human female into the room. The human guards arrive and throw in other humans; Elisa figures they are Gen-U-Tech employees.

"What are you doing?" asks Dr. Scarlett Mallory.

"I will take the infants with me," says Serge. "I have loyalists in Serbia. When we resume our war, we will overrun Bosnia, and cleanse the land of this vermin. This compound was built with a self-destruct device. I will set timer and blow this place up."

"So you're going to leave us here to die," says Mallory. "I…I'll never meet my baby."

"Leave you here to die?" asks Serge. "You mean we leave you here alive?"

"That's how it goes in the movies, you know," answers the geneticist.

"Well, I will just shoot you all and let the explosion incinerate your bodies," says Serge, lifting up the AK-47.

Elisa has one chance.

She had already unlocked the manacles, being experienced with handcuffs and the manacles not having a complicated lock mechanism.

Serge starts to press the stock of the assault rifle against his shoulder.

He notes the raven-haired police detective lunging towards him.

Goliath and Angela watch in horror.

Elisa's hands go towards the barrel.

Serge's right index finger is wrapped around the trigger.

There is a burst of gunfire.

It hits the ceiling of the room.

Serge starts to push forward, trying to knock the woman back.

Her ears ringing from the gunfire, and her hands on the barrel, Elisa pulls back and steps aside to the left. .

Serge crashes face first right into a glass cabinet filled with chemicals.

Elisa runs towards Goliath. Because the manacles' locking mechanism is simple, she easily frees the gargoyle.

Goliath grabs Serge's AK-47. He opens fire down the hallway, scattering the guards, even as Elisa unlocks the others' manacles.

Ooooooo

The mutate babies are loaded into one of the trucks, all specially designed for transporting the infants. A guard starts the engine and puts the truck in gear. Soon, its tires roll along the ground as the truck leaves the compound.

Above in the night sky, Goran glides overhead, looking at the truck as well as a Jeep.

"Where's Serge?" he asks, speaking into a microphone connected to the radio."

"We can not find him," says the human guard. "The place is set to blow."

"This is Hawkeye to Baby Carriage," says Goran. "I am heading back to Nursey to look for Chief babysitter."

"He is not at safety point?" asks the driver of the truck whose callsign is Baby Carriage.

Goran glides back to the compound, briefly recalling the battles against the Bosnians during the civil war. He also briefly remembers the clan members who fell in combat to rid their protectorate of the Bosnians.

He soon lands on the rooftop of the main building.

Oooooo

Angela, Owen, and Dr. Rachel Weinberg enter a room. It contains all sorts of electronic equipment, many with LEDs.

"We need to contact help," says Owen, in a flat tone despite the pain from the compound fracture of his right arm.

"You need treatment," says Dr. Weinberg.

"That panel," says Owen, looking at the gargoyle. "Turn than knob until it reads one two zero five."

Angela turns a knob on the devixce. She sees some numbers change on an red LED readout. Soon the number reads 120.5 MHz.

"Tell them this is the Nursery, ask for Stork," says Owen. "The place will blow, and we need help."

"Hello?" a voice asks.

"This is Nursery," says Angela. "Stork, this is Nursery. The place is going to blow. We need you to get us out of here."

"Copy, Nursery," says the voice whose callsign is Stork. "We are on our way."

Ooooooooo

Serge stands up, still feeling woozy from hitting that glass cabinet. He notices that he is bleeding from his face and his neck and his hands, likely because he was cut by the broken glass.

Those two gargoyles, their human friend, and Xanatos's employees must have escaped. He grits his teeth from failing to kill them before turning his attention to escaping.

Getting ouit opf here alive is much more important than killing the two gargoyles and their human ally.

Ooooooo

"Angela!" yells Goliath.

"We've summoned help," replies Angela.

"Good to see you here, Rachel," says Dr. Mallory, sitting in the driver's seat of a Jeep.

"Looks light it will be a tight fit," says Dr. Weinberg.

She, Owen, and Angela join Mallory, Elisa, Goliath, and others. It is a very tight fit, with Elisa sitting in Goliath lap.

"Let's hope the mechanic wasn't asleep on the job," says Dr. Mallory.

She starts the engine and puts the Jeep in gear. She does not hesitate to drive towards the open gate of the compound.

Ooooooo

Goran is back inside the main building of the compound. He does not know how much time is left before the explosives destroy the whole place.

He has never abandoned his friend, the very first human he had befriended over thirty years ago.

The gargoyle will not start now.

Fortunately,. It is not too long before he sees a human figure.

"Serge!" he yells.

"My friend," replies Serge.

"We get you to rooftop and glide away."

The two friends walk up a flight of stairs, reaching the rooftop of the main building. Goran holds Serge in his arms. He sprints towards the edge of the roof. He jumps and spreads his wings and the air currents carry him up.

Just seconds later, Goran and Serge hear explosions as the compound is destroyed.

Oooooooo

The driver and passengers in the Jeep also hear the explosion, and see the huge fireball when they glance back.

Angela looks at the sky, seeing the silhouette of a winged figure, all but certain that winged figure is the gargoyle named Goran.

Not long afterward, they arrive at the cave. Goliath, Elisa, and Angela meet up with Azra and her children, who are all happy to see their rescuers alive.

"So you made it," says Azra.

"They took the babies away," says Goliath.

"I'm sorry," says Azra's son Braz.

"I want to thank you," Dr. Mallory says to Elisa. "We would have died. My baby would have died." She places a hand on her belly. "I wish I knew how to repay you."

His sister Mirsada plays with the gargoyle beast Bronx.

"We had better get to the rendezvous point with our rescue," says Owen, sitting down even as the two human doctors are treating his broken arm.

"I will go with them," says Azra. "I will go with them to this Avalon place."

Owen's eyes widen in surprise, something that rarely ever happens.


	6. Chapter 6

Azra holds her infant son Stojan as she sees and hears the mist that enveloped her, Braz, Mirasda, Goliath , Angela, Elisa, and Bronx after they boarded the wooden skiff. She can see that the mist is getting lighter, seeing the outline of something ahead.

The mists clear, and she sees a beach ahead. Behind it is a tall cliff made of sandstone. Braz and Mirasda look in awe.

More of the winged beings known as gargoyles land on the beach. The skiff soon arrives at its bottom scrapes against the sand.

"This is Avalon," says Goliath. "You will be safe here for now."

The other gargoyles greet Azra and her family, as well as welcome back Goliath, Elisa, Angela,. And Bronx. Angela smiles as she once again meets her fellow clan members.

"An hour here is equal to a day out there," says Elisa.

"So a week would be almost six months," replies Azra, having done the calculation in her head. "We can have refuge here, but someday we will go back home. Maybe go back to Srebrenica."

She feels she can start to rebuild her life.

Oooooo

"First of all, I am glad that you are safe," says David Xanatos, sitting inside his office in Castle Wyvern. "It is disappointing that we can longer trust Serge. He was a very talented contractor….There is little we can do about him except keep an eye on him, anticipate his next move, and even we do not have too many eyes in eastern Europe… And of, course, we should send a thank you note to Goliath and Elisa for helping us out and saving your life… wait they've actually been to Avalon? Interesting….Yes, we will make sure we can give them a proper greeting in case Avalon decides they need to be at our facilities….We will speak further when you return to New York."

Xanatos hangs up the phone, contemplating these new developments.

Oooooooooo

**June, 1996**

Inside a room somewhere, a statue of Goran sits. The statue is kneeling. With the right arm across the knees.

Upon sunset, cracks appear on the surface of the statue. More cracks appear.

Goran roars as the stone skin bursts off from his body. His eyes glow white, and then the white glow fades.

"Good evening, Goran," says a human wearing camouflage.

"And to you, Andrej," says the gargoyle, who is on a first-name basis with the human. "I must see Serge."

He and Andrej walk along the hallways of the building. They soon enter a looks like nothing out of the ordinary, with a bed, two wooden dressers, and a closet. A human in a white lab coat stands by the bedside.

"You are awake," says the doctor.

Goran hears a groan from a figure lying on the bed. Serge Tanzic turns face up.

The gargoyle notices the short-cropped brown hair on the human's scalp, as well as the scar resulting from that laceration when Serge was a boy. He also notices some more faint scars on the former Yugoslav colonel's face.

He also notices what is different.

Serge is covered in light-brown fur, a shade lighter than his scalp hair. His feet have doubled in length, and the toes are swollen. One of Serge's ears is pointed instead of round. Two leathery wings are attached to his back.

Serge opens his eyes, revealing slit pupils.

"If only we had a proper laboratory," says the doctor.

Goran holds Serge's hand as the human continues to mutate.


End file.
